Long Beach
 

We want to spend 2 days there---any suggestions for good restaurants and things to do?

I live in Long Beach, as do a few other posters. Nice place to live and work, but if you could answer one question, we'd be able to help you more.

That question is: Why do you want to spend two days here?

Long Beach is a mid-sized industrial city, not really much of a beach town any more (that was in its history, especially at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries). Downtown has the Queen Mary (a bit worn, starting a major restoration effort), the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Museum of Latin American Art (actually considered a fairly world-class facility), hokey/charming Shoreline Village and the Pike (a strolling/shopping/dining venue, not the celebrated amusement park of many, many years ago). Going a bit east on Fourth Street you'll hit Retro Row, a few blocks of the funkiest consignment/vintage stores this side of Melrose Ave.; that's very fun. Farther east you'll run into Belmont Shore and the Naples Peninsula, another strolling/shopping/dining area.

Long Beach's attractions are really geared to locals; tourists stumble here and find a surprising amount of nice things to see and do, but not anything overwhelming or glitzy. Still, I happen to love it. It's much less frenetic and trend-hopping than LA, cheaper than any other coastal city in this part of California and very diverse in culture. It's also surprising in its architectural riches, if you have the time to look; lots of Craftsman gems in Carroll Park, Rose Park and Belmont Heights, lots of Art Déco still scattered throughout the city, some great Midcentury Moderne homes (including a whole neighborhood of lovingly preserved Cliff May time capsules as well as an *Arts and Architecture* Case Study home in Naples), etc.

Lots of good eating here. Again, we don't chase trends; the best eateries come from people who just want to serve good food near where they live and/or grew up. What kind of food do you like? We can make targeted recommendations once we have an idea.

Long Beach is a hard city to pin down, but rather nice once you slow down and take it in.

Adding to rjw's list (check the schedules for all of them)
Long Beach Museum of Art and Claire's
Rancho Los Cerritos and/or Rancho Los Alamitos
See if anything is happening at the Performing Arts Center or Cal State Long Beach
CSULB Pyramid and University Art Museum
View from top of Signal Hill Hilltop Park (also a nice place to walk)
Whale watch cruise if you aren't going to Catalina (do the one through the Aquarium)

Thank you for your thoughts---may consider another beach community like Huntington

We very much enjoyed this restaurant in LB. Restauration.

http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/rest...long-beach-ca/

((H))

A few years ago, I had a convention to go to, and was surprised how cleaned up Long Beach had become, particularly down at the waterfront. Otherwise, I only go down to Long Beach these days to go to Court or to take the Catalina Express to Catalina.

Back in the "olden" days, I used to come down to Long Beach all the time to go to the Long Beach Auditorium to see the likes of the Who or George Harrison, or whomever it was difficult to get tickets to at LA's Forum. Not the best concert hall despite the great acts, but it was torn down in '75.

If you DO decide to go there, and like pizza, I really enjoyed Michael's pizza.

I recently went to Long Beach for the first time (other than getting a cruise ship there decades go)and was surprised by HOW much I loved it during the two full days spent there. Wordsmith, if you want a sense of "local" Southern California, vs "tourist/beachy" SoCal, it's perfect! I stayed in the East Village Arts District, which has some great eateries, local cafes, wine and whiskey bars (the last scene of "LaLa Land" was filmed at one) lots of friendly people walking their dogs, chatting at sidewalk cafes. Seeing the above lists by rjw and mlgb, and and maitaitom's restaurant recco, I look forward to a return.

Rjw said "Long Beach's attractions are really geared to locals; tourists stumble here and find a surprising amount of nice things to see and do, but not anything overwhelming or glitzy." This was exactly my impression, and the rewash for the city's appeal.

We had a wonderful relaxed and delicious dinner at James Republic. Linden Public Cafe is a great local-feel airy indoor and outdoor coffee and light meals place. My family tried Thai District and loved it...it''s a definite go-to for next time!

OK, some more specific restaurant recommendations:

Michael's on Naples for SUPERB high-end Italian:

michaelsonnaples.com

Playa Amor for <i>pocho</i> cuisine of Alta California:

playaamorlb.com

Panxa Cocina for a great bar scene and wonderful food of New Mexico and the Southwest:

panxacocina.com

The Attic on Broadway for Southern comfort food with a hipster edge and a great outdoor bar, in a renovated historic Craftsman bungalow:

theatticonbroadway.com

Chianina for VERY high-end steaks-- pricey but incredible:

chianina.com

Saint & Second for gastropub delights:

saintandsecond.com

Roe Seafood for-- well, great seafood in a rather dreamy room:

roeseafood.com

Starling Diner for a short, carefully-curated list of delectable breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes (but the coffee isn't too great, so caveat emptor):

starlingdiner.com

Schooner or Later for a real locals-only brunch hangout with beer and wine and some wonderful hangover remedies (such as the world-famous Mess-- you'll just have to trust me [and Guy Fieri, who used to hang out here when he was on the line at Parker's Lighthouse downtown] on this one):

schoonerorlater.com

Lots and lots of places to eat, drink and nosh. Enjoy!

mlgb has also made some great restaurant recommendations in other posts. One is for Cesar's Bistro, which is Latin American focused and GREAT:

cesarsbistro.com

Very fun place.

Thai Gourmet by Sri Maya doesn't get incredibly busy, but the food is actually quite good. If you're in Belmont Shore and crave Thai, it's a pretty safe choice:

thaigourmetlongbeach.com

I am a fan of the imaginative creations at White Wasabi-- not your mama's dull California roll (although you CAN order one, if you must):

facebook.com/WhiteWasabiLB

I think I will stop now. That's enough ideas for several visits!

Enticing ideas, above!
Uh oh...will have to change my planned return from two full days to three!! Granddaughter attends CSULB so there's a family, as well as eating/drinking, reason.
Granddaughter recommends this for crepe-lovers:
Creme de la Crepe, on East 1st St at the edge of the Arts District.

We were in Long Beach a couple of years ago and had dinner at a really really good neighborhood Italian restaurant, but I can't remember the name. It was between the Catalina ferry (where we were coming from) and the Courtyard hotel (where we were staying). Anyone?

I think it might have been La Parolaccia Osteria. Very good.